Published on: 18/02/2022

IEM Katowice Group Stage Day 1 Recap

As the play-in stage ended a couple of days ago, the group draws got clear and now the first day of the group stage is behind us. After a day full of surprises, here is our recap for IEM Katowice 2022 Group Stage Day 1!

The first day of IEM Katowice Group Stage decided the losers’ and winners’ bracket standings. None of the teams are out of the tournament yet but this will change after the upcoming games.

Group A

Results

  • Team Vitality | 2 – 1 | MOUZ
  • OG | 1 – 2 | Heroic
  • Virtus.pro | 2 – 0 | CPH Flames
  • Ninjas in Pyjamas | 2 – 1 | Gambit Esports

What happened:

In the opening game of Group A, Team Vitality pulled out an important win over their strong opponents, MOUZ. The series started head-to-head as Vitality closed out the first map with a score of 22-19. However, MOUZ bounced back with a 17-19 Inferno win but in the deciding map, the French team took down their opponents.

In another series with a head-to-head start, OG won the first map against Heroic but couldn’t prevent two consecutive losses. Heroic moved on to the upper stages. Despite these two close games, Virtus.pro had a better showing during their match against CPH Flames. The Polish team won the series in two confident games.

Lastly, NIP pulled out a big upset against Gambit Esports, winning the series in three games to continue their journey in the upper bracket. However, Gambit Esports are now going to grind their way into the losers’ bracket. 

Group B

Results

  • Natus Vincere | 2 – 1 | ENCE
  • Astralis | 0 – 2 | FURIA
  • Team Liquid | 1 – 2 | FaZe Clan
  • Fnatic | 2 – 1 | G2 Esports

What happened:

The series started with great competition and ended in three long games. Even though Natus Vincere’s Boombl4 tested positive for COVID, he still played his heart out. Na’Vi managed to shine especially during the last parts of the last game to advance in the tournament.

The Brazilian representatives, FURIA, managed to secure their first win of the group stage against Astralis. After two close games, 16-12 on Overpass and 16-11 on Mirage, FURIA made it to the upper stage.

Despite making an awful start to the series, FaZe Clan managed to bounce back and demolish their opponents in two consecutive games. FaZe’s broky stepped up for his team with a 70-kill performance in three games. Team Liquid failed to keep their performance up.

Lastly, in the duel of two of the greatest esports teams in Europe, Fnatic clinched the ticket to the upper stage. G2 Esports demolished their opponents in the opening map with a score of 16-2 to make a solid start. However, Fnatic’s performance got better and better in time and they managed to upset their opponents after two one-sided games. Fnatic had magnificent performances both on Mirage and Inferno, winning the maps 16-7 and 16-11, respectively.

IEM Katowice Group Stage madness will continue with the second-round games soon. Until then, if you want to live the esports spirit at its highest level, you can find more about IEM Katowice GG.bet bonus and make some bets. You can also view our CSGO betting guide to learn more!

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